Catalogue Note

Beckmann, accompanied by his wife and aided by his sister-in-law, fled Germany in 1937, the year in which Hitler delivered his infamous radio speech condemning so-called ‘entartete Kunst’ (Degenerate Art). That year, over 500 of Beckmann’s paintings and drawings were confiscated from German museums, some of which were sent to the Nazi organised degenerate art exhibition in Munich. It was the last time he would step foot in Germany, and was followed by ten years of self-imposed exile and poverty in Amsterdam during which time he desperately tried to obtain the required permissions to emigrate to the United States. His time in Amsterdam was punctuated by occasional visits to Paris, which is where he spent the spring of 1938-39 and began painting Kinder dis Zwielichts, although he did not consider it completed until adding his signature in 1950, an act which took place at Mills College in Oakland, California. Before becoming part of the legendary collection of Jan Krugier, the work’s first and only previous owner was the German-American author and art collector, Stephan Lackner. Lackner purchased his first Beckmann work aged only eighteen, and met the artist several years later in 1933 when negotiating the purchase of a painting he had seen in the storerooms of the Angermuseum in Erfurt, which were piled high with stock from Beckmann’s recent exhibition which had been prematurely shut down as part of the Nazi propaganda push. Beckmann was impressed with this young author, who had been courageous enough to support an outlawed artist, one of the only testimonies of support he received at this time, despite having enjoyed a successful career over the last decade. The two became close friends, and ultimately Lackner came to own the world’s largest and most important private collection of Beckmann’s work.

It was Lackner who first translated the title of the Kinder Des Zwielichts as Demons Fishing for Souls, an interpretation which seems fitting for the painting’s ominous subjects. Beckmann himself also referred to the work as Orkus (Hades), which could refer to both the setting and the central figure, who wears upon his head a thorn-like crown. Beckmann responded to the human drama of the war with a surge of intense creativity - he produced over two hundred pictures in his years of exile in Amsterdam – and, as such, the trauma of death and dying is an ever-present dimension in his œuvre from this period. Throughout the 1930s, he became increasingly occupied with mythologised references to the brutalities of the Nazi regime, and here, the predatory demons who sit fishing create an inescapably threatening atmosphere. The ‘Sortie’ scrawled upon the wall could perhaps be read as Beckmann’s wry comment on the unpredictable nature of fate: some will be able to escape, slip past the children of the twilight towards the exit, just like some souls will avoid the torment of capture, but others will not be so lucky.

This underworld is characterised by the typical claustrophobic approach to composition which Beckmann often employed for his paintings of terror and suffering, including The Night (1918-19, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf) and Birds’ Hell (1938, St. Louis Art Museum), and together with the thick black outlines, create a bold image reminiscent of stained glass panel. Towards the back of the work float mysterious white figures, who look on from the edge of the river. Whether these are redeemed souls, figures in purgatory or terrified observers is an enduring secret of this enigmatic and powerful work. Throughout his artistic career, Beckmann sought to be modern whilst also aligning himself with the traditions of the medieval world and old masters, and here he uses his classical subject to express the mysteries of eternity and fate which must have felt all the more potent in Europe as war approached.

The canvas is not lined. There appear to be no signs of retouching visible under UV light. There is some minor craquelure primarily to the blue pigment. There is some frame rubbing to the edges. There is a small paint loss due to a light scratch to the brown pigment to the left of the purple centre. Otherwise this work is in overall good condition."In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."